Age bias suit against Starbucks heads to trial

December 1, 2008

A Portland woman’s age discrimination lawsuit against coffee giant Starbucks appears headed for trial early next year. A federal judge in Portland denied a motion to dismiss Deborah Boyajian’s lawsuit alleging that she was denied a job as a barista because of her age.

Boyajian, 56, claimed that age was the only reason Starbucks failed to hire her when she submitted multiple applications to stores in the Portland area in 2005 and 2006. Her lawyer, Anne Carney of Portland, said the manager who declined to hire Boyajian ignored the company’s hiring practices and lied to her about why she was not hired. None of the 19 employees hired by the manager was older than 30, Carney said.

The company argued that Boyajian was rejected for employment because of her personality, her behavior toward Starbucks employees and errors on her applications.

Read Article: Seattle Post-Intellengencer

Posted By: Phoenix DUI Attorney